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I am an author, naturalist, and speaker based in Seattle. My work explores the beautiful, complicated connections between humans and the wild, natural world.

I’m thrilled to announce that my newest book, Mozart’s Starling is out in a gorgeous new paperback.

The story of the composer and his pet bird led me on an unexpected journey to Vienna and Salzburg. It led me into the workings of the symphony, the opera, ornithological labs, the depths of music theory, the field of linguistics, and the nature of creative inspiration. It led me to the crazy experience of raising a starling in my own home. It led me deep into the spirit of the natural world and our constant wild animal companions. It led me to the understanding that there is more possibility in our relationships with animals—with all the creatures of the earth, not just the traditionally beautiful, or endangered, or loved—than I had ever imagined.

Mozart’s Starling is available in bookstores everywhere, and I am delighted to share it with you.

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Winner of the Washington State Book Award, 2018

A “luminous wonder…”—Luis Alberto Urrea, New York Times

“Mozart’s Starling is a delightful, enlightening, breathless flight.”
—Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain and A Sudden Light

“Mozart’s Starling sparkles with imagination, emotion, and insight…. Thank you, Lyanda Lynn Haupt, for showing us the delight and magic of a starling.”
—Sy Montgomery, author of Birdology and The Soul of an Octopus

“Mozart’s Starling is pure pleasure.”
—Thor Hanson, author of The Triumph of Seeds

“As riveting as a good novel.”
—Robert Michael Pyle, author of Through a Green Lens and Mariposa Road

“Informative and entertaining….Bound to become a classic.”
—Bernd Heinrich, author of Mind of the Raven and One Wild Bird at a Time